An Unexpected Twist of Fate
by schroeder
Summary: A suspensful Rent story... DiscontinuedNo Longer Updated
1. It Starts

Copywrite stuff: Characters belong to Jonathan Larson and Rent… story is mine. Thanks.

Part 1

"We were walking down the street and he stopped to talk to someone. Then we heard the gun 

shots. I don't know what happened.... can I go now?"

"No, Mr. Cohen, we have a few more questions."

"Christ! I don't even know if my friend is dead or alive... I... I'm covered in his blood. Just let me 

leave. I don't know anything else!" I get up, I'm not thinking straight... I just have to get some 

answers.

"Mr. Cohen!" Another cop grabs the first one as I leave. I hear him tell them to let me go. 

"Mark!" Through the din of sirens, voices, and flashing lights, I find the owner of the voice calling 

me.

"Maureen? What's happening? Where is he?" I'm losing what little control I still have.

"Mark, sweetie...God you're pale. Come over here and sit down for a minute. Let me clean you up 

some."

"No...no!" I push her away. "Where is he?" I feel someone's strong hands land on my shoulders. I 

can hear Maureen say that I'm losing it. Then the reply, "Well he just saw his friend get shot in the 

head..." That voice! "Collins!"

"I'm here Mark." The same hands now turn my face towards him. I relax some at their comforting 

touch.

"Where is he? Where's Roger?"

"They took him to the hospital. He's alive... for now." Before I have time to react, Collins takes my arm and steers me toward a car. "Come on, let's go."

Part 2

It's been hours. We haven't heard anything. Doctors, nurses...everyone... just pass us by, and 

here we sit.... Collins, Maureen, and me. I feel like it's been days since we were on the street. 

Someone gave me a clean sweatshirt to wear... I don't remember. Maureen and Collins 

are talking close by. They seem much calmer to me then they should... but they didn't see it 

happen, hear his scream...

"Are you the folks waiting for news on Roger Davis?" Suddenly, time stops. Collins stands up.

"Yes, we are."

"The surgery went well. We were able to stop the bleeding and he's stable. We won't know 

anything more for a few hours." The doctor walks away. The tension in our group has eased 

considerably. A nurse comes by and suggests we get some sleep. I hadn't even realized that it's 

morning already. Collins says he's going to find coffee and some food. I mumble something 

unintelligable and put my head down in Maureen's lap. She strokes my hair and we both drift off to 

sleep.


	2. The Dream/Seeing Him

Copywrite stuff: All characters belong to Jonathan Larson and Rent… story's mine.

Part 3

We're walking down the street, just me and Roger...it's very foggy out, 

but it's cold. Roger stops to smoke a cigarette. As I turn around, I see 

Maureen talking to Collins. She's going on about how Joanne left her and 

moved to Boston. Collins isn't listening. I look back at Roger sitting on

the curb. He exhales and smiles up at me. "Are you okay?" God, I sound 

like I'm a million miles away. I see him nod yes, but his voice says "I 

still can't believe Mimi left us...me... all of us." Suddenly there are 

hundreds of people running and pushing by us. As they pass, Roger jumps up

and starts running after them. "Hey! What's going on?" 

"Mimi!" he yells back. "I saw Mimi. I have to find her."

"Wait... Roger! She's gone, she's not in New York anymore." But he

can't 

hear me. I chase him, but can't catch up. The crowd is gone and the 

streets are empty again. I see something out of the corner of my eye...

it's 

Roger. He's going into a burned out old wearhouse up the block. I run to 

catch him...it's suddenly a lot colder. Something's wrong, but I can't

find 

my voice to warn him. I get to the door and look in. It's completely

dark, 

yet I can see... that it's absolutely empty. 

"ROGER??" The only answer I get is the echo of my own voice over and

over 

and over...

I wake up in a cold sweat. I look around and try to catch my breath.

I'm 

still at the hospital... it was a dream. Maureen pushes my hair back off

my 

face and Collins rubs my shoulder. I can tell by their faces that we

haven't 

heard anything new. I sigh and lay back down, but sleep won't come

again... 

I'm too scared.

Part 4

"You can see him now." Those words are echoing through my mind.

Maureen 

is holding my hand as we walk down the hall...her hand is shaking...along 

with mine. 'One at a time' the nurse at the ICU desk tells us. They both 

think I should go in first, but I can't... I ... just can't. Collins goes 

in. He's not in the room very long and when he come out he's crying. He 

won't look at me, just walks right past. Maureen squeezes my hand and goes

after him. I look at the door and take a deep breath.

It's quiet... except for the machines, but they fade into the background

quickly. His face is swollen and bruised and his head is wrapped in 

bandages. There are wires coming from his forehead and tubes down his nose

and one in his mouth to help him breath. It doesn't look like him... I

would 

swear it wasn't him, except... his hand. I go over to the side of the bed 

and look at his hand. More wires and tubes hang over the side of the bed.

I 

can't imagine what they are all for.

"Oh God!" My voice seems so loud in the little room. I sit down in the

chair and touch his hand... run my thumb over the cross that assures me,

this 

is Roger.

"Talk to him. He can probably hear you." I jump out of my skin. The 

nurse smiles. "I didn't mean to scare you." She reads a machine and

leaves. 

Talk to him...

I look at the machine beeping his heartbeat... I look back at his face.

"You're going to be alright Roger." I'm sure of this and I feel more in 

control than I have since we left the club last night. "And I'll be

here... 

we'll all be here, to help you as much as we can." I lean back in the

chair 

and fall asleep.

~ I'm still working on the next parts, so they'll be up asap ~


	3. Home Again

Copyright stuff: Jonathan Larson and Rent own the characters… the story is mine.

Part 5

"Shut the hell up out there, would you! I'm trying to sleep!" I roll over in bed and look at the clock. It means nothing to me… I can't tell the time. It's late… it's gotta be late. I'd get up and go out there, but that would be too much trouble. I sigh and pull the pillow over my head. I try to sleep, but I can't. It's not just the noise from the other room… I can't get my mind to slow down and the ringing in my ears is so loud sometimes, it would wake me up. I look at the clock again and am so angry that I still can't read it, I throw it across the room. It hits the wall with a satisfying crash. It's quiet now in the other room. I bite my lip… "Shit." The door opens slowly.

"Roger?"

"I'm okay."

"Are you sure? I, uh… I heard a crash."

"Mark, really…" I sit up and look at him. "I'm alright."

He hesitates in the doorway, but then leaves. I wish he would stay. We haven't spent much time together recently… he's scared. But I know if there's anything I need, he'll drop everything in a minute to be there.

I hate this. Two words dictate my life, brain damage… it's changed everything. I get frustrated so easily now… numbers and letters mean nothing to me, or music. I lay back down. It's hard for me to walk. I spend most of my time working on that… I have incentive. I don't want to depend on them forever.

I can tell whoever is in the other room is whispering with Mark about me. My face burns red. I wish everything would just go back to the way it used to be. If only I hadn't stopped to talk to that guy on the street that night… his music was so good though. I thought I might be able to help him out, get him a gig with my band. I don't remember anything after that. Except waking up in the hospital, unable to talk with a massive headache… and Mark sitting next to me.

I finally fall asleep thinking about Mimi… she would hold me and help me forget about all of this.

Part 6

I stumble trying to walk from my bed across the room. "Damnit!" I have no insurance and no money, so this is my physical therapy. The doctors say I'm lucky… I can re-learn everything I've lost. Great, but I can't do it alone.

"Hey Roger! Come here, quick." Ahhh, the irony of it… I can't go anywhere 'quick'. 

"Uh, Mark… I don't think so." He pushes me all the time and I know I won't get away with staying in here. If it weren't for Mark, I probably would never get out of bed… much less my room. Outside the loft, that's another story. I haven't been out since I got home from the hospital. It's not that I'm scared… I just don't see the point in it.

"Ahem!" I look over at the doorway where Mark's been waiting for me to acknowledge him; his patience has run out. He shakes his head looking at me. I shrug my shoulders. I know I'm a mess. Mark disappears into the hall and returns with clean sweatpants and a shirt for me. "I'll do laundry tonight. Now change and get out here."

I look at myself in the mirror. At least my hair is starting to grow back. I had forgotten what color it really is. I pull the shirt over my head and ditch the new sweatpants… too much effort to change.

It's a much longer walk down the hall for me than it ever used to be… but it's slowly getting easier. Mark's looking out the window and hasn't noticed me yet. I look around the room. There's a pile of newspapers on the table that has been saved for me, should I want to try to read. I see no point in that either.

I flop down on the couch and kick some manuscript paper out of the way as I put my feet up. It hurts to look at that because what's on it means nothing to me anymore.

Mark hears the paper hit the floor and turns to look at me. He frowns and picks up the music. I know it hurts him too, that I can't play anymore.

"I wanted you to come to the window."

"Well, you didn't say that… and it's too late now."

"It's okay. She's gone now anyway." That grabs my attention.

"Who?" Mark goes about picking up some. He's nervous though, I can tell by his fidgety movements.

"Umm, no one really. Just someone who looked like Mimi." I can barely hear the end of his sentence, and it takes me a minute to realize what he said.

I jump up, I want to see for myself, but I stumble and fall. Mark is next to me in a flash.

"Are you alright!?!" He absently rubs my back.

"Yeah, I'm fine… just…" Fuck! I lose control, temporarily forgetting about who might be outside. I pull my knees up and put my head down on them. "I'm just so tired of all of this, Mark." He pulls my head onto his shoulder and let's me cry.

~~~~~

"It's going to be fine, everything's going to be okay." I have my doubts, but Roger needs to hear this. He's starting to get ahold of himself again. I absently run my hand over his short hair. It's amazing how different it makes him look… or maybe it's everything that's happened that changed him.

He picks his head up and looks at me, his face pale and tear stained. I help him back onto the couch. "You really are getting better at walking… you just need to slow down."

"Yeah sure." He grumbles as I head to the kitchen.

"I'll get ya something to eat." I look back out when he doesn't respond, but he's lost in his thoughts again.

Things like this happen all the time now. Not me thinking I'm seeing Mimi… that was very strange… but Roger falling apart. It's new to me. Even after he got back from rehab, he never fell apart… he just retreated. I need to find a way to reach him. He works on learning to walk again because it's necessary. He doesn't want to need me to help him go everywhere. It's everything else. I try to get him to work on reading… reading anything! But he's not interested… not even in trying to read music. That scares me the most. His guitar sits in its case under my bed, where it's been since I saved it from Roger's wrath. The day he realized that he could not only not read music, but not play it either… he tried to smash the guitar. 

I finish scrounging through the fridge. We have plenty of food… Collins has seen to that. He comes by once a week, at least, with groceries or money. I throw together a sandwich and bring it out to Roger. He's standing by the window with his forehead pressed up against the glass. I leave the sandwich on the table, grab my coat and go out… leaving Roger to his thoughts.

~~~~~

The click of the door brings me back. I turn around… no one is here. "Mark?" No answer, he must have gone. I see the sandwich on the table… I really don't know what I'd do without him. I slowly make my way back to the couch to eat. Could it really have been Mimi out there? The thought is almost too much to hope for.


	4. 

An unexpected story new

Part 7

I run across the street, narrowly missing getting hit by a car. The driver slams on his horn, I smile and wave. I don't like leaving Roger alone, not for long anyway. I'm afraid he might fall and no one will be there; but he is falling less often now. I wasn't lying when I told him he's getting better. I sigh and look up at the window from across the street. Sometimes I just need some time alone to process everything. He's not there anymore… I panic for a minute and have to stop myself from running back there… hopefully he found the food. I focus on clearing my thoughts. It's only 11:00, but it's already been a long day. I don't know where I'm going. Maybe I'll go film in the park for a while. I make my way down the street lost in my thoughts.

"Mark?!" I look around, startled. There she is, I wasn't seeing things this morning.

"Mimi!" She runs over to me and I wrap my arms around her small frame. "When did you get back?"

"A couple of days ago. God, you look great!" I hold her at arm's length.

"You don't look so bad yourself." She laughs and pulls out some cash. 

"Let me buy you a cup of coffee." We head down the street and she talks my ear off about what she's been doing. My problems are temporarily forgotten.

~~ ~~ ~~

Boredom sets in… It doesn't happen often, but when you have no TV and can't read… it's bound to. Where the hell is Mark? He's been gone forever. I want to call Collins, but when habit forces me to pick up the phone, I can only stare blankly at the buttons. Mark said something about getting walkie-talkies in an attempt to make me laugh… now I wish he had been serious.

I consider going downstairs and even make it as far as the stairwell, but my hands get sweaty and I suddenly can't catch my breath. I slowly move back inside. Mark says that the panic attacks come from fear. I'm not afraid to go outside… I keep telling myself. It must be that I'm afraid of falling down the stairs.

I pick up the phone again. Damnit! In a rage, I kick over the table where the phone sits. Everything comes crashing down… that's it! Day's over! I'm going back to bed! As I crawl back under the covers I can hear the phone screaming… I didn't bother to hang it back up.

~~ ~~ ~~

"That's strange." I hang up the phone.

"What is?" The people arguing across the street are distracting Mimi.

"It's busy." This concerns me greatly. I haven't thought about Roger all afternoon… except for when Mimi talked about him. I haven't told her yet… she hasn't asked about him. I suppose she thinks that he's moved on, like her.

"What's so strange about that?" She turns back to me. "Who are you calling anyway?" She suddenly looks slightly anxious. I pick up the phone and dial again, maybe I dialed wrong… maybe Collins is there. Still busy. Oh God, it's penance for forgetting about him all afternoon. I look at my watch… 4:00.

"I was trying to call Roger… look I have to go, I can't get through." I hope she won't pick up on the urgency in my voice, but she does. She grabs my arm as I start to hurry away.

"What's going on Mark?! You're never this worried about Roger." She blocks my path and won't let me go. I look at the ground. I don't want her worrying too… she's so happy.

"It's nothing… I just promised him I wouldn't be gone long." I start to hurry away again and she follows. Of course she would, she still loves him. I think about trying to lose her, but that's ridiculous… she knows where we live. I finally stop when I reach our building. I've got one more chance to stop her… they're both so fragile, one of them will crack. I'm afraid it will be Roger. I'm afraid… no, I'm afraid Roger won't need me with Mimi around. I turn to face her and bite my lip. She's crying from fear. 

"Mark, what's wrong? What are you hiding from me? He's sick, isn't he? The AIDS, I – I can't watch him die." I pull her arm to sit on the steps with me. I hold her hands.

"He's not dying Mimi… he was shot a few months ago." I tell her briefly what happened, she doesn't need any details. When I'm done, she wipes her eyes and stands up.

"I need to see him."

Part 8

I open the door quickly and look around. The table that used to stand in the corner and its contents are strewn all over. "Roger?! Oh God…" I rush in and down the hall, leaving Mimi standing in the doorway. I run into Roger's room and stop short. He's sound asleep in bed and appears to be fine. I pull a blanket off the floor and cover him. As I stand watching him sleep I wonder if he'll look as different to Mimi as he does to me. 

I pull the door closed behind me and return to the other room. Mimi has come in and shut the door, but stands by the broken table looking frightened. "Did Roger do this?" She points to the mess. I kneel down and start to clean up. Ah, the answer to the busy signal, I think as I put the phone back on its receiver. 

"Yeah, he gets frustrated very easily." I watch as she looks around the loft; nothing should be that different to her. Finally she focuses back on me and I quickly look down to the broken lamp I'm cleaning.

"What – what got him so mad?" I stand to go find a broom that I know we don't have. 

"I don't know, anything… maybe he wanted to call Collins because I was late." I forget briefly that she wouldn't understand how that could send Roger into a rage… but remember when I turn to see her questioning expression. I sigh and pull her over to the couch. "I told you downstairs that the doctors said Roger would be fine. What I didn't tell you was that it's going to take a while. He was shot in the head… he's got some brain damage." 

"What? I, uh… no…" She starts to back away. I grab her hands and hold her there.

"He's really okay… for the most part. Please listen to me… I promise." She settles back down, but keeps looking down the hall towards his room. "He's already relearned how to walk, but he can't read anything and he won't try. That would explain why the phone set him off; the numbers don't make sense to him." She's crying again and all I can hope is that she'll get it all out now and not cry in front of Roger. I push her chin up so she'll look at me. "He misses you terribly. Maybe you can help him." I feel a pain in my heart saying that to her… admitting out loud that I can't help him. We sit now, in silence and I hold her as she cries.

"Mark?" Roger's rough and sleepy voice jolts us.

"I'm here buddy." I stand to go to him and gesture to Mimi to wait here. She nods and wipes her eyes. I go down the hall and push open Roger's door. He's propped up on his elbows, still in bed. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Where were you before?"

"I went for a walk and I found a present for you." He blinks at me and only then do I notice the fear in his eyes. I forget about Mimi and go to sit on the bed by him. "Roger… what's wrong?"

"I – I was just scared before when you hadn't come back. And I didn't know where you were or how to get anybody." I let my head drop. His hand grabs onto my arm, it's cold and clammy. He must have had another panic attack. That's why he was sleeping, he does that when he's scared. I put my hand over his.

"It's okay buddy. I'm here now and we'll work something out so that it doesn't happen again." I can feel him relax and his vice grip on my arm releases. He lies back down and smiles weakly.

"So, you said you got me a present?" Oh God! Now is not a good time for this. I force the look of surprise off my face and stammer for an excuse.

"Oh, um… yeah. But later… not now." He's confused, that's easy to see. I open my mouth to try to explain better.

"Roger… baby?" Both of our heads spin to the door where Mimi stands.

"Surprise." I weakly answer before scowling at her for not staying put in the other room. Roger just stared, his mouth hanging open.


End file.
